


Unexpected

by sesheta_66



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco Malfoy's Birthday, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 20:41:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11193012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sesheta_66/pseuds/sesheta_66
Summary: Ron has an emergency at home and Harry finds himself on his own on pub night.  When he finds out Malfoy is also there alone - on his birthday of all days - he decides to invite himself to join him.





	Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

  * For [capitu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/capitu/gifts), [shiftylinguini](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiftylinguini/gifts).



> This is for capitu’s prompt for dinner at a Muggle restaurant and shiftylinguini’s prompt that no one should have drinks alone on their birthday for Draco’s Merry-Making Mini Fest.
> 
> I hope you both enjoy my take on these. ♥

** **

**Unexpected**

Harry stepped into the pub and walked up to the bar. The bartender greeted him with a smile. "The usual, Harry?"

"Will do. Thanks, Simon."

He drew a pint of Harry's favourite lager and placed it on the bartop. "Ron running late tonight?"

Harry drained a quarter of the glass in one pull, just what he needed after the week he'd had. "Nah," he shook his head and lifted his cell phone. He'd received a text as he was approaching the bar; apparently there was some emergency at home and he wouldn't be making their weekly pints. "He just bailed on me, but I was here already, so ..."

Another customer flagged Simon down and he waved his acknowledgement. "No worries, mate. I'll still serve you, even without your sidekick."

Harry grinned and lifted his glass. "Cheers."

Simon went to serve the other customer and Harry looked round for a familiar face. Just as he was ready to give it up for a lost cause, a shock of white blond hair caught his attention. _Ah, why not?_ He made his way over to the table. "Malfoy."

"Potter."

"What are you doing here?"

Malfoy made a show of looking around him in confusion, then leaned forward conspiratorially. "Don't tell anyone, but ... I'm having a drink."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, I get that. But I don't usually see you in here."

"Strange, but I thought this was a public venue."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Okay, let's try this again. Hi, Malfoy. What brings you to this fine establishment this evening?"

Malfoy raised a single brow. Damn it, how did he do that? Harry'd tried many times over the years, but the ability stubbornly escaped him.

"If you must know, it's my birthday and I'm having a drink to celebrate."

"By yourself?" 

Malfoy's jaw tightened. _Shit._ That wasn't a particularly sensitive thing to say. Hermione would not be pleased. "It appears so, yes."

Harry pulled out a chair and sat down. "Well, we can't have that, can we?"

"I'm sorry, but did I invite you to sit down?"

"I invited myself. And since I'm paying for the rest of your drinks, I suggest you just smile and nod."

There's that brow again. _Show off_. "And think of England?"

Harry was relieved he wasn't taking a sip of his beer at that moment or he might have choked on it. "If you wish."

Malfoy's lips twitched. "Tell me we aren't about to be joined by a gaggle of gingers. Even I have limits on my birthday. Present company notwithstanding."

Harry frowned. "I sense an insult in there, but I'll let it go since it is your birthday. And no, no gingers this evening. Ron cancelled."

"Ah." Malfoy sipped the last of his drink. Harry's eyes were drawn to the motion of his throat as he swallowed. "I wondered why the great Harry Potter would grace me with his presence."

Harry frowned. He really didn't want to argue, not even with Malfoy. He stood up. "I'll be right back." He went to the bar and returned with two more drinks. He held up his glass. "Happy Birthday." He clinked Malfoy's glass as he looked on in bewilderment. "And may you have many more."

Warily he eyed Harry, then his drink, then Harry again. Deciding it was safe to do so, he raised his own glass and took a sip. "Thank you."

"My pleasure."

They sat in awkward silence for some time before Malfoy said, "Why did you come over here, Potter?"

Harry shrugged. "I saw a --" He was about to say friendly face, but that wouldn't have been precisely true, so he opted for the more likely, "-- familiar face. Well, familiar hair, actually, and I thought I'd say hi."

Looking utterly perplexed, Malfoy asked, "But why? It's not like we're friends. And here you are now, buying me a drink."

"Drinks."

"Pardon?"

"Oh, you aren't getting away with only one. It's your twenty-fifth birthday, Malfoy. I should know as mine's in just over a month. One cannot celebrate such a milestone with only one drink."

"This is my third, actually, but really. I'm having a proper celebration on the weekend with family and friends. More convenient for everyone that way."

"But today is the _actual_ day. You can't spend it alone."

"So I'm to spend it with you?"

Harry grimaced. "Your incredulity is flattering, I'm sure."

"Do you even know what incredulity means?"

"Piss off, you twat. And as a matter of fact, I do. Now just smile and nod." He recalled Malfoy's earlier quip and added, "and think of England if you must." That got a chuckle out of Malfoy. "No one should drink alone on their birthday, and I mean to ensure that you don't."

Malfoy stared at his drink for some time before lifting it to his lips again. "Is this part of your saving people thing? Because I don't need saving."

Harry shook his head. "Nope. It's part of my mission to see that no one has a solitary birthday, if I can help it."

"I'm sure witches all over Britain will positively swoon when they hear that."

Harry cringed. "Okay, let me rephrase that. No one I know."

Malfoy swirled his glass, staring into it, thinking of who knew what. "This is your new mission in life now? Not enough evil wizards left to chase?"

"Not exactly." Harry fidgeted in his seat. Why had he sat himself down? Why did it matter to him what Malfoy did on his birthday? He realised with a start why he hadn't given it a second thought. "It's just ... well, if you must know, I spent every birthday alone until I was eleven and Hagrid brought me a birthday cake along with my Hogwarts letter. Several years after that as well, since my birthday's in the summer too and I never got to see my school friends outside of Hogwarts. So I guess I don't like to think of anyone else ..." Malfoy was openly staring at him now and Harry felt like an idiot. Why had he gone on about that?

"You ... what? You were left alone as a child?"

Harry took a long pull of his lager. "Okay, not exactly alone. As a matter of fact, alone would have been preferable. My family never acknowledged my birthday, and more often than not, I just spent the day cooking or cleaning. The first time my birthday was acknowledged by anyone other than myself - besides when I turned one, before my parents were killed - was when I turned eleven." Bloody hell, there he went again. He raised his glass and plastered on a smile. "So I suppose I just don't like the idea of anyone else having their birthday pass by without some sort of celebration."

Malfoy nodded and lifted his glass as well. He said nothing but kept watching Harry. It was making him twitchy. He swallowed the last of his second drink and went up to the bar for a third. As he swerved slightly upon his return, he thought perhaps he ought to slow down or, better still, eat something before having any more.

He placed Malfoy's whiskey on the table. "So have you had dinner yet?"

He tapped his glass. "A liquid one."

Harry had a crazy notion, but why not? He'd brought the mood down with his childhood ramblings, so he was determined to fix that. And he had just the idea. He gave Malfoy a once-over, which earned him a raised brow.

"Are you _checking me out_ , Potter?"

Harry grinned. "Just seeing if you are appropriately dressed for what I had in mind."

"Oh, really?"

"Yep." He made a show of sweeping his eyes once more over the length of Malfoy's admittedly attractive body. "You'll do." 

Malfoy's lips twitched and he leaned towards Harry, eyes dancing with amusement. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"You'll see. Drink up."

In short order, Malfoy was swigging back the last of his whiskey. "Alright, Potter, finish your drink." He motioned for Harry to drink up. "I may live to regret this, but you've piqued my interest. What precisely have you in mind?"

Harry gulped back his beer and steadied himself as he stood. "Come on then. I'll show you."

Thankfully the place he had in mind was walking distance - he wasn't sure it would have been a good idea to Apparate after drinking three beers in under an hour. He supposed that's what happened when you sat down with someone you rarely spoke to: drinking was just easier than talking.

When they arrived at their destination, Harry opened the door and gallantly motioned for Malfoy to precede him. "After you."

Malfoy entered, walked a few paces, then stopped. Harry had to stop himself from bumping into him. "This is a Muggle restaurant, Potter."

Harry nodded. "Now you know why I was _checking you out._ " He used air quotes for emphasis. "I had to make sure you wouldn't stand out in a crowd." Truth be told, checking Malfoy out was not a hardship. And Harry doubted the man could walk into any establishment and _not_ stand out, but whatever. 

"Sure it was." Malfoy smirked. "You keep telling yourself that."

As Malfoy seated himself, Harry took the opportunity to whisper something surreptitiously to the waitress who nodded before leaving them to peruse their menus.

Dinner and wine orders placed and already three drinks in - five now for Malfoy - conversation flowed easily after that. Avoiding obvious touchy topics like the war and Malfoy senior, they filled the time with talk of Quidditch, the bureaucracy of the Ministry and their respective jobs.

"Can I get you gentlemen some dessert?" the waitress asked after clearing away their plates.

"I could manage a cup of coffee and a tiramisu. Malfoy?"

"That sounds perfect. Make it two."

The waitress winked at Harry as she walked away and Harry did his best not to grin. 

"You know, Potter, this evening has been surprisingly pleasant."

"I agree. Who would have thought, eh?"

Harry excused himself to the loo and returned in short order. As he settled himself in his seat, he saw a crowd of servers, their own in front carrying a piece of cake, making their way over. He smiled across the table and before Malfoy could say anything, the cake with a lit candle on it was placed in front of him. Then they broke out into song.

_Happy Birthday to you,_  
Happy Birthday to you,  
Happy Birthday dear Draco,  
Happy Birthday to you. 

Malfoy gaped at Harry, his eyes dancing with enjoyment. It was a good look on him. Before Harry lost himself in that thought, he cleared his throat. "You have to make a wish and then blow out the candle."

Malfoy looked at the candle, then at Harry, then back at the candle, before squinting - presumably in concentration - and blowing out the flame. The servers all clapped and wished him a happy birthday once more, placing two cups of coffee and Harry's cake on the table.

"Happy birthday, Malfoy."

He tucked into his cake, as did Harry, in absolute silence. Harry kept glancing up to see if Malfoy was pleased or pissed that Harry had called attention to them. As time passed, he began to question his decision, but before he could get too worked up about it, the waitress brought their bill to the table.

"I can't believe you did this for me," Malfoy said when she'd left. "For _me_." He smiled widely. "Thank you."

Harry tossed some money onto the table. "You're welcome." He shrugged and smiled. "It's no big deal, really. Muggle restaurants do it all the time. You need only tell them it's your birthday or anniversary or whatever, and they'll send a few unfortunate souls to come sing to you. Some places get quite rowdy about it too."

"Do you mean to say that we could go to any Muggle restaurant and they'll bring me cake and sing to me?" He looked ready to bounce out of his seat.

Harry laughed. "Not every restaurant, but I'd wager most would, yes."

"Then what are we waiting for?" He jumped up and motioned Harry to do the same. "Let's go!"

"But --" He stopped, not wanting to burst Malfoy's bubble, and decided to go with it.

As they approached the fourth restaurant - the previous two were more than happy to serve them tea and cake and sing to Malfoy - Harry groaned. "Not that this isn't delightful --"

"It is, isn't it?" Malfoy's entire face was lit up. Just like it had been since they'd started on this adventure to discover cake and song. Of course the addition of alcohol to his beverages might have helped along the way, if his swaying and occasional leaning on Harry was any indication.

"Yes, it is. But, Malfoy, I don't think I could eat another bite."

With Malfoy's lower lip pushed out the way it currently was, Harry imagined he was used to getting his way _all the time._ Frankly, all Harry wanted to do was lean in and take that pouty lip into his mouth. Bloody hell, he must be drunk too, though he didn't feel it.

"How about we make this the last one?" he suggested.

Malfoy pouted a bit more and leaned in, his hands warm on Harry's chest. "But no one's ever sung to me before, Harry. I like it."

 _Fuck._ His given name had never sounded so good. Harry adjusted himself so Malfoy wouldn't feel the effect he was having on him. "I'll bring you out for your birthday again next year, yeah?"

The pout faltered slightly. "You promise?"

Harry chuckled. "I promise."

Malfoy leaned in some more and lifted glazed eyes to Harry's. "I could kiss you for this, Potter."

Harry blinked, then watched Malfoy's tongue peek out and drag over his no-longer-pouty lower lip. "Yeah?"

Then Malfoy grinned and did just that. It wasn't the neatest kiss ever, what with Malfoy rather inebriated - oh, hell, he was drunk - but it was still wonderful. After taking a moment to process that this was really happening - yes, Malfoy was really kissing him - Harry responded rather enthusiastically. He lifted his hands from where they were supporting Malfoy's shoulders up to cup his cheeks and deepened the kiss. Harry could taste the brandy and chocolate from the last restaurant on Malfoy's tongue and feel the hard press of his chest against Harry's own. When Malfoy's arms wrapped around his shoulders and he pulled their bodies in line, they both groaned.

Somewhere in the distance, Harry heard the clearing of a throat and he reluctantly drew back. He watched Malfoy's eyes blink open and slowly come into focus. "Well, that was unexpected."

Malfoy's grin turned sly. "It was ... only maybe not really."

Harry had no time to try to work out what a drunk Draco Malfoy could possibly mean by that before he was grabbed quite forcefully by the front of his shirt.

Malfoy winked and said, "But now, more cake!"

Harry allowed himself to be dragged into yet another restaurant for yet another rendition of Happy Birthday. He had no idea where this might lead - or if Malfoy would even remember tonight - but he was more than happy to sing along just one more time.  



End file.
